When using home remedies for fleas on cats there are a few important things to keep in mind: do not use garlic and do not use un-researched essential oils. It’s important to remember that cats and dogs have very different bodies and so a treatment that works for a dog is most likely toxic and will make a cat very ill – it could even kill them. Natural remedies for fleas on cats are very useful, but in many cases with fleas it’s better to prevent them with these same remedies than it is to eliminate them. Fleas can be very hard to remove from the home once they’re allowed to get settled!
Symptoms of Fleas on Cats
- Frantic scratching and biting of the coat
- Excessive grooming
- Hair loss
- Staying away from certain rooms or parts of the home
- Agitation
- Edginess
- Restlessness
- Red lesions
- Scab-like bumps
- Muscle loss
- Pale gums
- Lethargy
- Pepper-like specks on the skin and fur
- Red spots on the bedding
- Small insects crawling through your cats fur
How to prevent Fleas on Cats
Begin treatment measures even if fleas aren’t obviously present. By treating your cat as though fleas are, in fact, present you’ll never have to worry about them becoming a problem.
- Regularly wash cat bedding, especially of cats that go outside. Use hot water to wash and a hot dry to dry the bedding.
- Vacuum your home at least once a week. That way if a rogue flea manages to make it into your home you can get rid of them before they lay eggs and you end up with a serious flea problem.
- Keep your lawn mowed, don’t have brush piles and use beneficial nematodes to keep fleas at bay.
How to treat Fleas on Cats
- Make a spray bottle of lemon water and spray your cats flea comb. Use this to comb out your cats fur three times a day. You can also spray down the bedding if they don’t mind the smell and any pet furniture. Do not spray directly on the cat!
- Make an apple cider vinegar spray bath with a few cups of apple cider vinegar and a few tablespoons of baby shampoo. Spray over your cat then comb with a flea comb.
- Use food grade diatomaceous earth in a dry shampoo. This safe for animals agent drys out the fleas. They literally dehydrate to death. Just shake it onto your cat and brush it through their fur. Dust onto their bedding too for best results.
- Make a flea trap of soapy water in a shallow dish like a plastic lid and a night light. The fleas will take off at night for the water and drown themselves.
- Give your cat a bath. It’s simple and a quick run over with some mild baby shampoo and some water, making sure to get up around the neck and ears, is the best way to get started with any treatment.
- Vacuum once a week and throw the bag out with you’re finished. Vacuum everything: drapes, carpets and even furniture.
- Sprinkle beneficial nematodes in your grass to kill off any fleas living out there that can latch onto your pet and follow them indoors.
- Avoid using essential oils. There are very few that are safe for cats and should not be used without proper research.
